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Good Taxi Network launches UK-wide events and travel information tool for licensed taxi drivers
Good Taxi Network has launched a new UK-wide Events and Travel Information feature aimed at helping licensed taxi drivers make more informed decisions about where and when to look for work.
The technology brings together information on local events, airport and train arrivals and taxi rank activity. It is intended to give drivers an additional source of information when deciding where passenger demand could be building during a shift.
Events covered can include concerts, football matches, theatre performances, exhibitions and other major gatherings. Drivers can also view when events are expected to finish, allowing them to combine the information with their existing knowledge of venues, ranks, stations and other established sources of taxi demand.
The company said the technology is designed to complement rather than replace drivers’ local knowledge. Experienced taxi drivers have traditionally relied on their understanding of demand patterns and local movements when deciding where to position themselves between fares.
One licensed taxi driver using the technology said: “I’ve been using it for a while and it’s helped me understand how the taxi ranks are moving and what events are about to finish. I’m making better decisions about where to head, picking up more street work and becoming less reliant on taxi apps and circuits.”
The launch expands Good Taxi Network’s existing range of driver tools, which includes its Personal Booking Page and Fare Logger. The Personal Booking Page provides drivers with an individual booking page and QR code, intended to help convert passengers into future direct customers.
Its Fare Logger, meanwhile, allows drivers to record work and examine fares, hourly earnings, targets and commissions potentially being paid to third parties. The new Events and Travel Information service adds a demand-planning element to those existing functions.
Good Taxi Network says its system has been developed so that it can operate across different sizes of licensing area without requiring a large number of participating drivers from the outset.
According to the company, a single licensed taxi driver can begin using the service in a new area, including setting up a Personal Booking Page, recording work through the Fare Logger and accessing relevant events and travel information. That driver can subsequently invite other trusted drivers to join a local network.
A Good Taxi Network spokesperson said: “We’ve built technology that can work for licensed taxi drivers in the smallest towns just as effectively as it can for licensed taxi drivers in the UK’s biggest cities. We don’t need hundreds of drivers in an area before we can launch. One licensed taxi driver can get started and help build the network from there.”
The company is positioning the service as a way for taxi drivers to develop more independently sourced work alongside jobs obtained through established taxi apps and circuits. Its approach combines direct passenger booking tools with earnings information and data intended to indicate potential areas of demand.
The effectiveness of the new Events and Travel Information feature in generating additional work will ultimately depend on factors including the availability and accuracy of local information, passenger demand and how individual drivers use the data alongside their own knowledge.
Good Taxi Network says the service is available to licensed taxi drivers across the UK.
